The Final Verse
by CassieWolfe
Summary: Harry Potter/ Heroes of Olympus crossover. While there are many such stories, few (none) have so far been finished. I wanted to see what I could do with the seven and the Golden Trio. This is my first attempt at fanfiction, so please be gentle! Rated T just in case.
1. 1 - Annabeth

**The Final Verse**

 **Disclaimer:** **All characters belong to Rick Riordan and J.K. Rowling, I just came up with the plotline.**

 **Shipping: Harmione, Solangelo, Percabeth, Jiper, Frazel, Wolfstar.**

 **Warnings: Major character death, divergence from the Harry Potter books starting in 5** **th** **year (Sirius doesn't die, and some other people do) and from the Percy Jackson books in The Burning Maze, maybe some OOC. I'd rate this as T but what do I know? Violence, some swearing.**

 **Occurs in 6** **th** **year, and after The Burning Maze.**

 **(Annabeth POV) Chapter 1**

I stretched carefully before picking up my knife and walking into the ring. This was the knife finals of the first Greek-Roman Games of Olympus and I was facing Reyna, the best of the Romans. I had not come against her yet, but Piper told me she was fast. She stood an inch taller than me, and looked strong too. With speed, that was a deadly combination, and I _really_ didn't want to lose to her. After all, if I won this time I would be up against either Nico or Michael Kahale for the close-combat championship. All in all, this was one fight where I could not afford to be lazy.

Reyna came at me fast. It only took me a minute to find my rhythm and start sizing up my opponent. She was good, good enough that I couldn't find an opening in her guard as we flowed together in an intricate improvised dance, and for a moment I forgot that a thousand demigods were watching me.

Suddenly, a movement caught my eye in the stands, and in my moment of distraction Reyna lunged, scoring a light hit on my knife arm. I shook my head as referees started into the arena, letting them know I could, and would, continue. They backed off - it was my right as a competitor to refuse medical assistance. I came at Reyna right away this time, smiling to myself as her knife arm came up to block exactly as I had predicted. Immediately I reversed my swing, darting under her arm to graze her ribs. She too dismissed the healers and cut at me, but it was clumsy and I easily parried.

We fell back into our rhythm, but this time she was on the defensive. That gave me an idea, and I began to flag, pretending the cut on my arm was bothering me. I'm sure Reyna saw through it, but she wasn't about to pass up the opportunity I offered her. When she thrust through my weak guard, I simply swayed to the side, grabbing her knife arm with my left hand while putting my dagger to her neck.

"I surrender!" Reyna spoke very carefully to keep from pressing her throat against my blade.

Grinning, I let her go and turned to the stands, reveling in the sound of four hundred teenagers screaming my name, before letting the kids of Apollo look at my wound. Nico's boyfriend Will Solace recognized me with a smile as he poured nectar in the cut, making me wince.

"Sorry, Annabeth, it does sting a bit sometimes."

"Thanks, Will, I really appreciate your help."

"Congrats on winning. Oh, by the way, if you end up against my Death Boy, try not to break him. I don't know why, but he doesn't heal on nectar."

I promised to be careful. "Anyway, what if he breaks me?"

"Then I will either heal you or defend Nico from a very angry Percy."

Smiling as I turned away, I was surprised by Reyna holding out a hand. "Good fight!" she laughed.

"Thanks, you're the best opponent I've had in years! You really made me work."

We were interrupted by Chiron. "I'm terribly sorry, but I need Annabeth in the office. The others are already there."

I nodded. "I'll be there in a minute."

Reyna looked after Chiron as he trotted away. "What is that about?"

"I don't know," I replied in puzzlement. "I suppose I should go. Bye, Reyna."

And with that, I jogged off toward the Big House, my mind reeling with possibilities.


	2. 2 - Piper

**(Piper POV) Chapter 2**

I had been having a great day until I heard about the prophecy. I had allowed myself to dress up a bit today, since I was going to watch my best friend fight a Roman Preator and then going on a date with my boyfriend. Of course, for me "dressing up" meant wearing a nice blouse instead of a T-shirt and jeans without rips.

My day improved when Annabeth won the knife championship for Camp Half-Blood, and even Chiron summoning Jason and me to the Big House didn't dampen my mood much. However, learning I was supposed to go on another dangerous quest did the trick.

"Just when the Seven were finally getting some rest, we're supposed to drop everything and rush to _England_? For a _year_? Let me guess; we're going to fight _another_ villain?"

"Percy, please," Annabeth cautioned. "We need to know more about this before you jump to conclusions."

"I'm afraid Percy is right," Chiron said sadly. "Your quest will be dangerous. You will be protecting a boy named Harry Potter from terrible danger. In the meantime, you will be posing as American exchange students at a school called Hogwarts. You will be learning magic, and you must let no one know you are demigods."

He paused, before adding, "Here is your prophecy.

 _"Eleven shall meet in the lands of old_

 _Six the children of prophecies bold_

 _Three will at all costs be kept in the dark_

 _But saved by the return of a long-lost spark_

 _One destroyed by mistrust of a friend_

 _And love shall save all that matters most in the end"_

"We don't know what it means, but it's easy to see that the "children of prophecies bold" meant you six."

"So we're going to England?" I asked. "How?"

"Oh, um... You're taking a plane."

"WHAT!" Percy and Hazel shouted at the same time.

"I'm sorry, it's the only way to get you there by tomorrow evening. You're leaving in the morning."

"Tomorrow! B-b-but..." I couldn't leave without saying goodbye to all my friends and making sure my dad knew where I was going!

"I know, it's not much warning, but my friend Albus Dumledore only contacted me this morning."

"Oh, uh, okay... we'll be packed by tomorrow."

Back in the Aphrodite cabin, I began to pack. Chiron had told us we would be getting new robes for school, but I wanted a few outfits to wear anyway. Also, I needed black jeans or tights to wear underneath my robes, since I had no desire to spend the entire year in a mini-skirt. Then I grabbed my knife, Katoptris, my copy of The Fault In Our Stars from Annabeth, and the pegasus-feather earrings Jason had given me for my birthday, and I had everything I needed.

I was interrupted by a knock on the cabin door. My sister Lacy peeked out, then turned to me, giggling.

"It's your very own Romeo! Should I let him in or will you call the window to him? 'Jason, Jason, wherefore art thou, Jason' ."

"Oh, just let my boyfriend in!" For some reason I felt unreasonably annoyed at the sweet girl's teasing.

"Oh... Okay, Piper."

Lacy's tone told me she was upset, but I didn't feel like apologizing right then, so I just turned back to my packing. I knew Jason was in the room, but it was still a surprise when he came up behind me and wrapped his arms around me.

"Gods, Jason! You're lucky I already packed Katoptris... I wouldn't like you nearly as well with your innards out."

He just grinned and kissed me. I heard a collective "Awww" from my assembled siblings and broke away to flip them off. They scattered then, unwilling to face my wrath (or maybe they wanted to give us some privacy... Nah).


	3. 3 - Percy

**(Percy POV) Chapter 3**

Great. Just great.

We're being sent on another dangerous quest, just when I thought we might get a bit of rest. And to top it all off, we're supposed to go on a _plane_!

We left at sunrise, without even time for a proper breakfast. By seven we were on the plane. I'd been worried about going through the metal detectors, but only Leo set it off with his magic toolbelt. Turns out Piper's charmspeak is useful for something other than "borrowing" BMWs. Not that I mean that isn't useful, just not quite as useful as keeping our secrets safe.

Hazel and I spent the entire seven-hour flight attempting to reassure each other that we were not, in fact, about to crash, since Zeus had a kid on the plane. It didn't really work, and the extreme turbulence did not exactly help.

We did eventually land safely, but it was not an enjoyable trip. Then we turned our attention to finding the Leaky Cauldron. Everyone seemed to have a different opinion as to how to get there, and it took the better part of an hour to decide to get a taxi to the address (Annabeth's idea).

When we finally got there, the entrance to Diagon Alley didn't quite live up to my expectations. I was hoping for columns and marble and just... more grandeur. Definitely not a small, dingy pub, the sort of place where a black market operated unchecked and skimpily dressed ladies plied their trade. And to be clear, I knew that from movies, not any personal experience.

Once we were inside though, my jaw dropped. The pub was much larger than the tiny building could possibly hold, even with Annabeth as architect. It was decorated in a combination of dark red and gold, crowded with mahogany couches and armchairs. Almost all the seats were occupied, but there were three empty loveseats in a corner. Piper told us to sit, and went up to the elderly man at the bar.

"Excuse me, are you Tom? I'm Piper. My friends and I are exchange students from America. I think a gentleman by the name of Chiron Brunner reserved three rooms for us?" So strong was Piper's charmspeak that Tom didn't question six American teenagers walking into his establishement asking for rooms.

Once she had secured three room keys, Piper returned to us, entrusting the other two keys to Annabeth and Hazel, respectively.

A pretty girl about our age came to our table, holding a tray of mugs full of something foaming and hot. "Butterbeer anyone?"

"Ooh, yes delicious, Butterbeer all round please!"

"How do you know it's delicious, Frank?" We all chuckled at the couple's antics.

The girl passed the mugs around. "I'm Lavender by the way," She winked at Jason, much to Piper's ire. "Are you the exchange students?"

"Yes."

 _Definitly annoyed,_ I thought.

"What's Hogwarts like?" Trust Annabeth to want more information.

"It's a great Academy! What about your school?"

"Well, from what I've heard about Hogwarts, it's quite different. For example, we use staffs instead of wands, which is one of the reasons we're coming to Hogwarts, so we can learn wand magic."

Lavender jumped in as soon as Annabeth paused for breath. "Why did they decide to send _you_?"

"We're the best students in the Long Island Academy Of Magic. I suppose they decided we were the ones who had most... _earned_ it." Piper's tone was frostier than Khione. "Now, don't you have other customers to attend to?"

"Oh yes, bye!" And Lavender skipped off.

Jason put an arm around Piper, saying softly, "Pipes, what's wrong?"

And Annabeth calls _me_ oblivious.

Our rooms were lovely. Best of all, I got to share mine with Annabeth, a luxury I still haven't gotten used to after the Giant Wars. Well, honestly I don't think I'll ever get used to it, but I don't want to. It'll always feel like a miracle when I wake up next to the girl I'm in love with, the girl who the thought of losing haunts my worst nightmares.

Breakfast was alright, considering that there was no blue food. There were pancakes, bacon and orange juice, with every kind of topping and spread I'd heard of (plus some I hadn't), including peanut butter. I suddenly missed my brother Tyson, off making weapons under the sea with Dad.

That afternoon, the girls informed us that we were going shopping in Diagon Alley. Something about "we need wands, robes, books, and an animal."

The first stop was a place called Olivander's Wands. Once inside, we were made to wave sticks around for what felt like hours, which is definitly not every ADHD demigod's favorite activity. Finally, sparks came out of our sticks, and the man told us what wood and "core" they were made of. Apparently, Annabeth's had an owl feather, mine a hippocampus hair, Piper's had a Veela hair, whatever that was, Jason's a lightning bolt centre, Hazel's a core of molten gold, and Frank's had a dragon heartstring.

Then we moved on to make another exciting puchase, our robes. (In case you can't tell, I'm being sarcastic). After fitting us, the kindly witch, Madam Maulkin, whipped up three sets of robes for each of us.

Finally we got to Annabeth's favorite place, the bookstore. We spent nearly an hour there, and emerged laden with books, mostly in Greek. Besides the school curriculum, Annabeth had gotten about a hundred other books, on everything from magical history to a very dry book on The Building of Important Magical Monuments. Piper had purchased a few books on mythology and the First Wizarding War, and Jason had a book on Teleportation and Interdimensional Travel. Hazel was already poring over her tome on the magical properties of metals and gems, and Frank was absently nodding at people who spoke to him from behind his book on Animagi.

We decided to stop for lunch, but for some reason, Annabeth's suggestion of a healthy restraunt got outvoted when Jason spied an ice cream place.

After eating our ice cream sundaes, we went to a place called Ypoles Wol Mpioreum, er... Eylops Owl Emporium. Man, bad memories with _that_ term. I still have scars from my encounter with Medusa. Inside, we found dozens of cages, mostly containing owls, but some holding cats, toads, rats, or something else.

Annabeth immediately went over to a cage with a magnificent dark brown owl. The sales clerk told her it had been mistreated before it came to the store, and wouldn't let anyone touch it.

To everyone's suprise, the owl took to Annabeth, who told me it reminded her of Nico, scared and angry but with a really good heart. Another person I miss.

Annabeth named her owl Kosmima, which is the Greek word for jewel.

Piper got an elegant silver cat she named Isis, and Jason found a lovely eagle owl.

Finally we headed back to the Leaky Cauldron. Inside, we were going upstairs when my sixth sense, the awareness that warned me of danger, went off. When I turned, all I saw was three teenagers staring at me. They didn't look like monsters, but looks can be deceiving. So I did what any sensible demigod would do. I turned and went to talk to them.


	4. 4 - Hermione

**(Hermione POV) Chapter 4**

I had been shopping for the year's schoolbooks with Ron and Harry and we'd just returned to the Leaky Cauldron, when I saw six teenagers going upstairs. They didn't look like any kids I knew from Hogwarts, so I came to the conclusion that they were the American exchange students.

They certainly didn't look like any normal teens. For one thing, they were all wearing orange or purple shirts, printed with some kind of winged horse and the letters CHB on the orange ones, and SPQR on the purple. For another, no teenagers I knew had that kind of muscles. I mean seriously, they looked like sportswear models! They must really work out. By then, Harry and Ron had noticed what I was staring at, and they started ogling the three girls. After a moment, the dark haired boy at the back must have felt our eyes on him, for he turned and made his way over to us.

"Hey, I'm Percy. I'm one of the exchange stutents," he said with a dazzling grin. So my hunch was correct. "Do you guys go to Hogwarts?"

"Yes, I'm Hermione Granger, and this is Ronald Weasly and Harry Potter," I said, smiling back at him. Harry flinched when I introduced him, but Percy just nodded at him with a quick "Hi."

Now, that was weird. Most wizards leap at Harry when they see him, asking for autographs, or a picture, or to shake his hand. It's a bit of a bother, actually. Percy though, acted as though Harry was just another wizard.

I shook off my thoughts and asked him, "Are you looking forward to going to Hogwarts?"

"Well, I'm a bit nervous about going to a new school, but sure. I mean, Hogwarts is supposed to be the best magical school in the UK, right?"

"That's right, it's also one of the oldest. A historical monument, it-" I was cut off, rather rudely, by Ron. "Bloody hell, Hermione, don't get started now," He continued to Percy, "Once you get her started, she'll never stop."

Laughing, Percy replied, "Sounds like my girlfriend! Annabeth loves arcitecture and history, and she never shuts up about it."

Just then, the blond girl poked her head down the stairs. "You coming, Seaweed Brain?"

"Come down here for a sec, Wise Girl," Percy laughed. "I've found someone for you to talk at."

"Okay...?" She came down the stairs smiling uncertainly. "Um, hi? I'm Annabeth."

 _She sounds really wary,_ I thought. _Maybe she thinks I've been making a move on Percy?_

"Uh, hi," I replied, hiding my thoughts.

"You two need to talk. Annie, she's obviously a- umm, she seems really similar to you."

"Okay... uh, where are you going Percy?"

"Upstairs, like you said. Oh, don't worry, you're perfectly safe."

"'Kay, love you. Don't do anything stupid."

"Does that include making Frank-"

She cut him off, "Yes. It does."

"But you didn't let me finish," he whined

"The answer is no regardless of what you were going to say. I know you well, Kelp Head."

 _These people have weird nicknames,_ I thought.

Percy finally got away, and Annabeth turned her attention toward me.

"So apparently, I need to talk to you."

"Yeah, I, uh, started talking about the history of Hogwarts, and he just said I sounded like you, and you know the rest. I'm Hermione by the way."

To my suprise, Annabeth's demeanor immediately became warmer.

"Nice to meet you Hermione. What were you saying about Hogwarts? Something about the history wasn't it? I'm not as good at English magical history as American, so I'd welcome an opportunity to learn more."

Having found someone interested in what I had to say, I immediately began talking, oblivious to everything, including the fact that Fred and George had shown up and gone upstairs. Had I been more aware, I might have prevented the confusion that was to ensue.


	5. 5 - Jason

**(Jason POV) Chapter 5**

I'm not sure whether to blame those two Stoll clones for intruding, or Chiron for not telling us Nico and Will were joining us, or Nico himself for just jumping out of the shadows like that.

What I am sure of, is that we are in deep trouble.

See, Piper and I were relaxing on our bed, when two ginger-haired boys came in.

"Hi, I'm Gred, and this is Forge," said the one.

"Umm, hi? I'm Piper, and this is Jason..."

I waved, and turned back to my book on Apparition. In the background, I could hear Piper talking to the twins. One of them was trying to flirt with her, but I didn't worry. If she wanted to be with me, she'd tell them that. If she didn't, I'd let her go as a friend.

Suddenly, I heard someone stumble, and swear, "Holy Hera! You okay?" Then the sound of a body hitting the floor. I looked up to see Will kneeling over an unconcious Nico. My first thought was, _Oh gods, this is bad. There's two mortals here, what're we gonna do?_ Then, _Zeus, I'm an idiot. Nico!_

Will looked up from checking Nico's pulse and breathing, "He'll be fine in an hour or two."

Just then, he noticed that we weren't alone. The twins were staring at him like, well, like he'd just popped out of a solid wall. Which he had, of course.

Of course, since it was Will, his first comment was utterly pointless. "Have I ever mentioned that Nico's shadow travel is more trouble than it's worth?"

Piper, bless her, kept her cool and replied, "Yes, you have. And have I mentioned that in England it's called Apparition?"

"That's American Apparition?" It was George, I think. "They just melted out of the shadows!"

"Yeah, what's yours like?"

"Well, there's a big _crack_..."

"And it's really sudden..."

"Like, you just show up in a puff of smoke..."

Fred studied Nico, and frowned. "To just silently appear... That's way more advanced magic. But he looks so young, how'd he pass the tests?"

"Tests?" I elbowed Will. "Oh right, the tests. Well, umm, you see..."

George interrupted him. "You're Apparating without a licence? _Wicked!_ I mean, that's _so_ cool, as long as you don't splinch yourself."

"Splinch?"

"You know, when you leave half yourself behind."

Mounting panic was visible in Will's eyes. "Wait, my Nico could have... He might have... No. No more shad- Apparating."

Endeavouring to calm him, I said softly, "Don't worry. Don't tell them, but it's a different kind of Apparition. You know all the hazards of shadow-travel."

He started relaxing. "O-ok. Are you sure Nico's not in danger?"

"Not unless he overdoes it and fades, but I know he's careful and you look after him."

"Well, someone has to do it. He's obviously incapable of being responsible and looking after his own health. Doesn't he care about us? I mean, I'd be devastated if something happened to him, and I know you, Reyna and Hazel would be too."

Sighing, I replied, "I think we've had this conversation before, but you're still right. Nico doesn't act like he cares about his friends' feelings when he almost kills himself."

One of the twins said pointedly, "George, as interesting as this discussion is, I think we should be going. Nice to meet you guys."

Once they had left, we relaxed, and began explaining to a still-worried Will that Apparation was a completely different type of travel. "I should know, it's in my book. By the way, good thinking Pipes. We can't have them getting suspicious. Is Nico okay?"

"Yeah, he's just tired. Piper, would you lend me a hand? I need to convince Tom that Chiron sent us late, and your charmspeak would really help."

"Sometimes I think I'm just a voice to my friends," she said wryly. "Of course I'll come."

And with that, they vanished downstairs, leaving me with my unconcious friend.


	6. 6 - Nico

**(Nico POV) Chapter 6**

The last thing I remembered was Will swearing in Greek, before everything went dark. I doubted that that was a good sign.

I attempted to form sentences coherently, but my voice wouldn't work properly. "Wheh mm ah?"

"What?"

Great, Jason was here. I hoped I was where I aimed for. My shadow-travel hadn't been working well ever since the Apollo issue.

"Mmph. Where am I?"

"You're in the Leaky Cauldron. How are you feeling, Nico?"

"Well, my head feels like a centaur trampled it, but I'm not fading and I'm where I was trying to go, so pretty good for just having shadow-traveled to England."

"Good. Do you want some nectar to give you a boost?"

Making a face, I replied, "No thanks."

I hadn't told anyone but Will, but since the war with Gaea, when I almost faded, nectar tasted like ash, and it just made me more tired.

"There's a bottle in my backpack though. Could you toss it to me?"

"This one?" Jason asked, throwing it at me.

Even exhausted, my reflexes were fine, and I caught it easily.

"Thanks," I said, taking a sip. "It's a mixture of unicorn draught, Gatorade and something else. Only Will and Coach Hedge know all the ingredients, but it works better than nectar or ambrosia on me."

"Wow. I didn't know there was something better. Does it work on everyone?"

"We haven't tried. Where's Will?"

"He's downstairs. What, you don't want to spend time with your bro? I haven't seen you in months."

Jason tried to look sorry for himself, but the grin in his eyes kind of spoiled the effect.

I rolled my eyes at my friend's antics. "Of course I do, but my boyfriend's disappeared and I've no idea where he is, so apologies for not paying enough attention to your glorious self. Where were you this last trip, a condo in Florida?"

"Actually, I was in Arizona. Hot and dry, with way too many _dracanae_. What've you been doing recently? Other than Will, I mean."

I choked. "Jason! What- I never- Will and I-"

Enjoying a good laugh at my expense, Jason cut me off. "I don't mean it. I know you're a sweet, chaste kid from the '30s, when no one would even _think_ of such a thing."

Luckily, at that moment Will came upstairs, so the son of Zeus survived to tease another day.


	7. 7 - Annabeth

**(Annabeth POV) Chapter 7**

This will _never_ make sense. We were at King's Cross Station, and apparently we were supposed to walk through a wall. Now, your walls might be insubstantial, but only on Mount Olympus had I experienced such a thing, so I was a bit non plussed. The ticket said to take the "Hogwarts Express" at 11:00 from "platform 9¾". To the best of my knowledge, there was no such thing.

We were all arguing about it, when a motherly lady walked by. I recognized one of the kids with her as Hermione Granger, so I called out to her.

"Excuse me, Hermione? Could you tell me how to get on Platform 9¾ please?"

She shushed me vigorously. "Ssh! Not in front of the muggles." She lowered her voice. "Just run through the barrier between platforms nine and ten. Go on, it's safe."

"Okay... " I tried it, and sure enough, the station vanished, and I was in a new place, with a huge steam engine sitting in squat majesty on its tracks. A moment later, Percy popped through, closely followed by Jason, then the others. There was a brief lull after Hazel, when Nico and Will stopped to argue. At least, I presume they were arguing. Judging by the scowl on Nico's face when he came through, it's also safe to presume that Will won.

We started boarding, wrestling our trunks onto the train with less trouble than out fellow passengers, mostly due to how strong Percy and Jason were. Never had I thought I would be grateful for how much time those two spend wrestling!

Finally, we had our luggage stowed and could retire to a compartment near the back of the train.

Nico immediately curled up with his cheek on Will's shoulder and went to sleep. It's really remarkable the effect Will's had on him. He used to be all dark and moody and "don't touch me or you'll DIE"-ish. Now, he's still dark and a bit moody, and not a huge fan of touching, but he's also... cheerful. And cuddly, at least with a certain son of Apollo. And trusting of his friends, which basically includes the Seven, plus Reyna and- well, Will's his boyfriend, but also probably the person he trusts most in the world, with Hazel and Reyna coming in second and third.

Will for his part just put in earbuds and wrapped his arm around Nico. Jason and Piper sat down next to them, so that left Percy, Frank, Hazel and me in the opposite seat. Once we were sitting, Percy tried to pull the yawn-and-stretch card, but I told him to stop in no uncertain terms.

The rest of the trip was pretty uneventful, unless you count seven cursed jewels appearing in front of Hazel.

Finally, at almost 9:30 that evening, the train stopped, and we got our first glimpse of the castle that was to be our new home. I had been quite disappointed that it would be too dark to see the castle properly from the outside, but as it turned out, we were in for quite a sight.

When we stepped out of the train, we were gazing upon a magnificent castle, lit up by floating blue lights outside the towers and above the outer walls. It was, strangely, built in a mix of the Gothic and Romanesque styles. In fact, it was built on almost identical lines as Durham Cathedral. Odd.

We were caught up in the rush of people heading to a bunch of carriages. Carriages pulled by weird skeletal horses with withered bat wings. What was really strange, was most of the students didn't seem to see them. Harry saw them, I could tell by his shocked expression.

"What _are_ those things?" Harry sounded utterly disgusted, and scared into the bargain.

"Thestrals. They can only be seen by those who have killed someone they knew, or who have seen someone they love killed." Nico looked inexpressibly sad.

"Have they always been there, and I just couldn't see them until I saw Tonks die?" Harry asked.

"Probably. If you rode in the carriages, they were there pulling them."

Hermione was puzzled. "How do you know about them, and how can you see them? I know they exist, but I can't see them. Does that mean you've killed someone or seen someone die?"

"They pull Nyx's chariot, and Hades's too," he replied. "That's where I learned they exist."

Will elbowed him, and he added, "In Greek mythology that is."

"And as to my other question?" Hermione pressed.

"I don't think I want to talk about that right now. But yes, I've seen death. Now can we get in?" Nico directed one off his famous "death glares" at her, and Hermione shut up. I don't blame her. I'm friends with Nico, and he still scares me sometimes, when he stares at me with haunted eyes that make me think of Achlys, which is not something I particularly want to remember. Will is pretty much the only person who doesn't run when our Death Boy gets mad, and that's only cause he knows Nico would rather spend eternity with only Cupid for company than hurt him.

We all got into one of the carriages. It was a bit squishy with eight people in a coach meant for six, but there was no way we were splitting up, and everyone but Nico was fine with a bit of crowding. We took the same seating arrangement as on the train, but this time we were all on high alert. I mean, riding in a small covered carriage pulled by carnivorous death horses, what could go wrong. Plus, Nico is extremely claustrophobic, and I'm not too fond of small spaces either. Already Nico had buried his face in Will's shoulder, and Piper, the only one who knows just how uncomfortable I was right then, had put a reassuring hand on my knee. The carriage was conveniently designed so that every sound was reflected back twice as loudly, so now that Percy and Jason were arguing about Zeus only knows what, nobody could make out a word of what they were saying, just that they seemed to be competing over who could make more noise.

In the other corner, Frank was curled up looking sick, and Hazel was covering her ears. Finally Nico lifted his head long enough to yell, "SHUT UP, YOU TWO!"

They stopped arguing instantly, and the sound echoed for a moment, before total silence fell. Hazel murmered softly, "Thank you so much, Nico."

Everyone else followed suit, except the two boys themselves, who were still glaring at one another.

Fortunately, we had arrived, so I didn't have to deal with my boyfriend attempting to kill his cousin. A good thing too, in my current mood I would probably just let them fight until they worked it out themselves.

The castle was even more impressive close up. I could see that the little lights were actually little glowing blue creatures about a foot tall, and more were lining the hallway inside.

A tall, stern-looking woman came out, giving us a slight smile. "The American exchange students? Please come with me."

Following her inside, the castle was all high arches and sweeping staircases. I tried to keep track of the turns we took, but soon I was hopelessly lost.

Finally we came out in a massive room, set up with five tables, and filled with chattering kids.

"This is the Great Hall. You'll be coming here for meals. Now, if you'd just stand over here while we do the Sorting Ceremony."

So we waited while a fascinating talking hat sorted the new kids into four Houses. Each had a name that stemmed from the name of an animal.

Finally the teacher, who had introduced herself as Professer McGonagall, called us forward.

"As you may have heard," she began, "eight students from the Long Island Academy Of Magic will be attending Hogwarts this year. May I introduce, Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase, Jason Grace, Piper McLean, Frank Zhang, Hazel Levasque, Will Solace, and Nico di Angelo. They are here as the beginning of an exchange program Professer Dumbledore has proposed to Mr. Brunner, the headmaster of the Academy. This year, no Hogwarts students will be going to America, because two wizarding wars in the last three years delt significant damage to the school buildings. Any questions?"

A kid at a table decked out in bright yellow spoke up. "Did they fight in the war?"

Stepping forward, Piper answered. "Yes, we did. Everyone had to."

"What was it like? Was it scary, or fun? Did anyone die?"

"Well-" Piper started, but Nico cut her off.

"It was the worst thing I've ever gone through. I lost my sister to the first war. I was tortured in the enemy base for so long I got PTSD from it. Over half our school died." He choked slightly. "I wish it had never happened."

Will came forward and took Nico's arm, pulling him back slightly.

"Come on _mio caro_ ," he whispered. "You don't need to dredge up the memories."

Jason, seeing Nico so upset, came forward.

"Please don't ask us for details on what happened. It's not something we like to talk about."

"Why? You so weak you can't handle a few deaths?" The speaker was a slim blond boy at the green and silver table. And he had just made a very bad mistake. Nico stepped back into a shadow, reappearing in front of the boy. His sword was drawn, and shadows whirled around him. He put his sword at the boy's throat.

" _I think you need to be taught a lesson in the magic I have at my disposal_." Something was odd with his voice. Then I noticed he'd spoken in Greek.

Too late I realized what he was doing.

I heard Will scream, "Neeks, no!" Then everything went black.

 _I was plunged back into Tarturus, Percy dying at my feet, overwhelmed by too many curses for even him. I felt again the heart wrenching sorrow and guilt. And all I could think was that I couldn't go through this again._


	8. 8 - Piper

**(Piper POV) Chapter 8**

 _Standing on the hill, my father tied to a stake, about to be lit on fire._ Once he's done with Dad, he'll kill me and my friends too _, I thought._ No! It's not real. We're safe. _But I just couldn't believe myself._

After a moment, the hall reappeared. Nico was hissing to the boy, who looked distinctly pale, "That was just a demonstration. I can make your life literal hell. I can turn you into a ghost. I can summon worse monsters than you have ever imagined. Do not cross me."

Dumbledore stood up and spoke for the first time, "Ah, thank you for that little demonstration of what might happen if you lose control. May I suggest you take Mr. Grace's suggestion and keep your questions to yourselves. Now, I believe our feast awaits."

Professer McGonagall told us, "I think it would be best for you to sit with the Gryffindor table tonight."

We silently went to the table and sat. Almost everyone moved away from us.

I ate my dinner in a sort of trance. Dimly, I noticed Percy throwing a temper tantrum because there was no blue food, and Jason gently reproaching Nico for losing control.

Finally, the awful meal was over, and Professor McGonagall came to show us where we'd be staying. Turns out there was an unused tower we would all be sharing.

There were eight beds, but as soon as the teacher was safely out of the room, Annabeth got up and joined Percy in his bed, and Nico did the same, curling up with Will. They all looked so sweet and happy.

I was distracted by Jason gently pushing me over and sliding under the covers with me. After a few moments I fell asleep in my adorable boyfriend's arms, and slept like the dead without a single nightmare.

In the morning, I awoke disoriented. I wasn't in my bed, so where was I?

It took me several minutes to remember our quest. When I did, I got up to find that we were expected at breakfast in fifteen minutes. Annabeth and Will were already up, Annie reading and Will softly playing his guitar.

After giving them Hades for not waking me, I went into the bathroom, only to find that _someone_ had stolen my hairbrush. (It later came to light that Hazel had forgotten hers and borrowed mine, fully intending to return it.) I surmounted this obstacle by confiscating Annabeth's.

After applying my lip gloss, I came out to find everyone but Jason and Percy up and ready. Annabeth was attempting to wake Percy, but the seaweed brain was too fast asleep, and even a whisper of "Blue pancakes" failed.

To wake Jason, I merely leaned over and kissed him. He woke up with that cute confused smile that crinkled his eyes and curved the little scar on his lip.

"Breakfast in ten," I told him. He lept up and dashed to the bathroom. The sound of running water started up, and I giggled at how concerned about his looks my boyfriend was. He probably spent more time in there than everyone else combined. And people give girls hell for spending time playing with their looks!

Finally we were all ready, and thanks to Nico were in the Great Hall exactly on time.

When we got to classes, I was somowhat nervous, since we were in sixth year lessons, but I had no idea of the fundamentals. As it turned out, I needn't have worried; we soon discovered that if we thought the spell in Greek or Latin, it would work. In fact, at first they tended to come out a bit strong if we added the proper words out loud. For example, when we were asked by Professer Lupin, the scruffy DADA teacher, to pair up and practice the Levicorpus spell on each other, Jason immediately levitated the entire class and it took ten minutes to get everyone down.

Lupin was incredibly nice about it though, and just told Jason to be more careful next time. Sure enough, on his next try, Jason lifted me and only me into the air, and I didn't even end up doing somersaults.

Similar incidents continued to occcur throughout the day. In Charms, Percy swamped the entire class with a over-strong casting of the Augamenti spell, and in another class Nico overdid the Nox spell, turning out every light in the room. (We later learned that the effects of that one actually reached all the way to the Potions dungeon on the other side of the castle.)

Finally the day's lessons were over. Most of the students were relaxing with their friends or working on the day's homework. We, however, had an hour of combat practice in the Forbidden Forest.

After a half hour or so of practice, we broke for a few minutes. Now, at that point, I was tired and sore from lessons and then knife practice with Annabeth. I just wanted to sit down with a good book and relax. I definitely did _not_ want a fight to the death. Of course, that's exactly what I got.

Frank, lying on his side in bulldog form, was the first to notice the gray shadows fading out of the bushes around us. His growl alerted us to the danger, as did the fact that he promptly changed form.

Except for Will and Frank, the boys drew swords, as did Hazel. Will nocked an arrow, and Annabeth and I drew our daggers.

The next few minutes were a blur of wolfish creatures leaping at us, of slashing and parrying. Arrows flew from behind us, taking out quite a few of the monsters. We were good, but they had the advantage of numbers. There must have been at least three dozen of the loathsome creatures.

The three boys seemed to have some kind of competition, because every time one of them made a kill, they yelled out a number. At the end Nico had seven, and Percy and Jason tied with six each.

Annabeth had a scratch on her arm and Hazel had been bitten on the shoulder. Otherwise, we were unharmed. The same could not be said of our attackers. Only five had survived, and none of them were unharmed.

Will came over and tended to Annabeth's scratch, before turning to Hazel.

"Hmm," he muttered. "Werewolf bite. They didn't look like the sort I've encountered before though, I'll have to consult Madam Pomfrey on this."

We began to totter back to the castle. Just once I would have liked to have a nice, quiet quest, maybe involving a beach in the Caribbean. But that is not my life...


	9. 9 - Hermione

**(Hermione POV) Chapter 9**

" _What_ is up with those kids? They are definitely _not_ normal. I mean, they've supposedly killed people at age sixteen, they each have more magical power than Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall together, they're casting without wands, _how_ did that boy get an Apparating license-"

Ron cut me off. "So, we figure it out. Can't be that hard, can it?"

"Why do we care?" Harry asked. "Personally, I'm just interested in surviving the year."

I rolled my eyes. He can't be _this_ dense. " _Because_ , they might be Death Eaters. And if they are, we should know about it, so we can- umm, tell Dumbledore, or take them out ourselves."

"Okay," Harry agreed. "But how do we find out?"

"I'll do some research in the library, and then we'll just have to ask them."

With that, I bustled off, before either off them could raise any objections.

"No," I muttered to myself. "They can't be. That's impossible, they're just myths."

"Have you found anything?"

I forgot Harry was here. "A few possibilities. But they're all very improbable. Most wizards don't even believe they exist-"

"Just get to it. What are they?"

"Well, the good news is that they're not Death Eaters. Even they don't have access to this kind of power. The bad news is that they're something much more powerful and more dangerous. Something definitely not human, because no human could channel as much magic as they've been using without, well, exploding or spontaneously combusting, depending on your source. They might well be Egyptian magicians. Their story of using staffs tallies with that idea. But, if that part of the myth is true, the other parts would likely be true too, which is a bit unlikely. The other option also revolves around ancient gods." I drew out the suspense, waiting for him to ask me.

He obliged. "What is it?"

"I think they might be demigods. Children of a Greek god and a human – mortal, they call us. That would explain how much magic they have, and also why they're carrying magical weapons around."

"But – the gods aren't real. They're just the old excuse for things like weather and seasons."

Outside, thunder rumbled, even though the sky had been blue a minute ago.

"You want proof?" I asked, "Go outside and repeat that. I'd be willing to bet the wards on the castle are the only thing keeping them from striking us. Of course, if you did, you'd be dead, so maybe not."

"So what now? How do we confirm this?"

"We need to ask them. And since they are unlikely to want to tell us, we need to set a magical trap. The myths say they're pretty helpless without their source of power. So we'd need to remove them from basically everywhere. Since that's quite difficult, I suggest we go for Percy and Annabeth only."

So that was how I ended up planning a kidnapping with Harry.


	10. 10 - Nico

**(Nico POV) Chapter 10**

 _Oh gods. Oh Hades, don't let her be bitten, don't curse her, she's just a good kid in a bad situation, she didn't do anything wrong. Please, I can't lose another sister, she's all the family I have... I wish it was me. I couldn't save Bia, I can't hold the grief and guilt of Hazel turning. I'm worth nothing, I can't even hold on to the people I care about. I lose everyone I love... oh Eros, you're cruel. Do you like watching me die inside?_

"Nico? Neeks, snap out of it."

I focused on Will's face. For some reason I found myself looking at every little detail, the way his eyes crinkled slightly, how the light bent to touch his hair in a subtle halo that made him look even more angelic than usual, the smattering of freckles across his nose, the way he wore a small smile, somehow more comforting and genuine than his customary wide grin.

"Madam Pomfrey said this kind of werewolf bite won't change her, since it's not the full moon. Hazel's fine."

It took me a moment to process what he'd said. "Wait, she's safe? She didn't get hurt because I wasn't looking out for her?"

"No, she's gonna be okay." Just then Will realized what I'd said, "What, no! You didn't do anything wrong. You killed seven of them. You helped keep us all safe, and Hazel's not helpless. In fact, along with Annabeth and Piper, she's one of the strongest girls I know. Well, and Thalia and Reyna and- wait, I'm getting off topic. I know you're from the '30s, but she's a powerful young woman, and you don't need to shelter her. Just be there if she needs you."

Laughing, I hugged my boyfriend tighter. I'd known he'd say that as soon as the words had left my mouth, he was such a fervent believer in womens' rights. I mostly agreed with his views on the subject, I was just a bit overprotective of Hazel sometimes. In fact, I usually only disagreed with him to watch him get all annoyed and adorably defensive.

"I think I'll go see her. Wanna come?"

His grin widened. "She's actually already been released. She's doing homework in the common room."

Sure enough, Hazel was calmly writing her assignment. I gave her a hug, and told her to look after herself.

Will sat down on the couch and pulled me onto his lap. I can honestly say that curling up with a particular son of Apollo playing with my hair is not the best way for me to concentrate on studying, but I felt safer than I'd felt since we left.

 _Kneeling on cool stone, Will's life blood poured out over my hands. I knew I had to get up, had to make his sacrifice worth something, but I was frozen, my skin cold. Moving without realizing, I stood and turned to our attackers. A wave of darkness swept over them, shadows smothering them, bones flying out of the ground to strike them with sharp splintered ends. A dozen skeletal warriors rose to smite them, and transparent saber-tooth tigers lunged from thin air._

 _They were dead. All of them. I didn't care, for a million deaths wouldn't give me Will. A million deaths wouldn't bring back the sparkle in his eyes. And without Will, the world had no meaning. But above me there were nearly a hundred people I could make feel my agonizing despair._

 _I burst from the tunnels, sword in my hand. I would lose Elysium for this, but it didn't matter. My father had a room waiting..._

 _I watched them die at my hands, the kids I'd befriended, but I felt no grief, no elation, nothing. I was numb._

I awoke in a cold sweat. The soft sound of Will's breathing was the only thing keeping me from crying. I'd be fine in a few minutes, no need to wake him just because I had a nightmare. I could deal with it. I'd done it before and I'd do it again.

Carefully, trying not to disturb the sleeping son of Apollo, I threw the covers back, getting to my feet to go to the bathroom. I took a few deep breaths in front of the mirror, splashed some water on my face and turned out the light.

When I returned, there was Will, blinking sleepily up at him with eyes so blue I was still awed by their colour sometimes.

"Hey."

"Hi," I muttered.

"You okay?" Will asked, propping himself up on one elbow to look at me better. "Did you have a nightmare?"

"It's nothing I can't handle," I said, picking at a loose thread in the duvet. Much as I loved Will's protectivness, I hated being weak.

"I'm sure you can," Will said softly. "But that doesn't mean you have to. Now come here."

And so I went, melting into Will's arms and burying my face in his shoulder. His hands came up to rub circles on my back and the heat of his body made the tension leave my shoulders. I fit so perfectly against Will, like a puzzle piece.

" _Ti amo, mi sol_ ," I whispered into Will's neck.

"I love you too, Angel," he murmered. "Now try to get some sleep."

So I did, curled up in the safest place I knew.


	11. 11 - Will

**(Will POV) Chapter 11**

Nico may have been asleep, but I wasn't. I lay awake, worrying about the slender, almost fragile, boy sleeping in my arms. I doubted that anyone knew just how unhealthily skinny he was, or how often I woke to find him crying in his sleep. I knew Nico didn't like needing help, but he should really learn to accept that people care about him. Having a boyfriend who hated being vulnerable could be a huge challenge.

It took me nearly an hour to get to sleep that night. Nico didn't know how much he worried me sometimes, when he told me of dreams so bad he couldn't sleep at all, or refused to eat for days at a time. At some point we really needed to have a conversation about that.

Even after I finally got to sleep, I too was plaugued with nightmares. After waking up for the third time, I decided to get up. I grabbed my guitar and went up to the top of our tower and started playing. An hour or so later, I sensed Nico come up and sit by my side.

"Why are you up here?" he asked, leaning on my shoulder. "I know you're a morning person, but this is ridiculous. It's still dark for Hades' sake!"

"I could say the same thing to you!" I responded, dodging his question.

"I couldn't sleep. You were missing and the bed felt cold." Nico hesitated, unsure of what to say. Finally he decided to say what he was thinking for once. "Will, are you okay?"

"I'll be fine," I said, meeting honesty with honesty. "I had a nightmare, and I didn't really want to sleep again, so I decided to come up here for a bit. Go back to bed, Nico, you need the rest."

"No," he said, "We'll watch the sunrise together. How often am I awake this early?"

I didn't reply, simply wrapping my arm around the stubborn boy.

My lack of sleep was showing at breakfast, when Percy asked me, "Hey, could you take another look at Annabeth's wound? She said it still hurts all up and down her side."

I replied doubtfully, "I don't know if I should. I know nothing about medicine, and empousa have nasty poison claws."

He looked extremely puzzled at that, as he should, for I had treated many wounds before, not to mention the fact that said injury was from a werewolf, not an empousa.

"Excuse my idiot boyfriend, Percy," Nico muttered. "For some reason, he thought it a good idea to get up at three this morning. I mean, I know he's a morning person, but this is ridiculous!"

Percy laughed, and told me to take a nap today. I aquiessed, albeit absently.

"I'll make sure he rests," Nico said confidently, laying his head on my shoulder.

I sputtered for a minute, before settling my head on top of Nico's and closing my eyes.

The rest of the day followed pretty much the same pattern, of me dozing off and not realizing what I was doing. Finally, Nico dragged me upstairs and curled up on our bed, ostensibly to make sure I took a nap, but, knowing him, actually because he just couldn't spend more than an hour away from me. Which is why we were not there when our friends were kidnapped.

Our first inkling that something was wrong was when Jason came running into the room and shook me awake.

"Have you seen Percy and Annabeth? They weren't at dinner."

I tried to shake off sleep. "Percy missed a meal? That's weird."

"I know," he said, worry lacing his voice. "I know we fight all the time, but I wouldn't want anything to happen to them."

Nico woke up about then. "Wha- to who?"

"Percy and Annabeth are missing," I told him.

"They've probably gone to find somewhere private to make out," he said, with the bitterness I'd never understood.

"But they missed dinner," Jason told him. "Percy never skips meals."

"Paying attention, are you?" Nico turned over, away from me. "Want some advice? Give up. He's not interested."

I've never quite understood Nico's feelings on Percy. Sometimes he seems to bitterly hate him, other times they're best friends, and sometimes, like now, he seems almost... jealous? I know he used to have a crush on him, but I thought that was over. Then, a few months ago, he started acting weird around him again.

"Nico, please," I said. "I know you and Percy have history-"

"You have no idea," he muttered.

I continued doggedly, "But we need him back."

"Why?" he asked, "So he can mess everything up again?"

"He's not that bad," I said. "But anyway, he's part of the team."

Jason was more blunt. "I love you, Nico, but if you can't be trusted to put your problems aside to help the team, you're a risk."

"Fine," he said sharply. "I'll help."

"Good."


	12. 12 - Percy

**(Percy POV) Chapter 12**

I can't believe this. I mean, I can deal with being kidnapped by giants, by the gods, even by evil Roman emperors, but two inept teenage wizards? I'm insulted. And also a bit betrayed. I had thought we were cordial friends, but no. Now, I'd love to tell you I only complied because I felt sorry for their efforts, but the truth is, the actual kidnapping was executed perfectly. Even Annabeth couldn't escape the trap. It was only afterwards that they couldn't figure out what to do with us.

Finally they decided to stash us in an underground dungeon. And then leave us alone.

When they came back, the girl – Hermione – began asking questions.

Of course, she started with the hard one, "What are you?"

"Wizards," Annabeth replied acidly. "What, did you think we were Dementors?"

Hermione wasn't squashed. "Are you demigods?"

The question was like a bombshell. I gaped and Annabeth sputtered at them, "Wha- um no- We ah- what are-"

It was the first (and last) time I'd seen her at a loss for words.

Fortunately, we were saved from answering by probably the last person I wanted to see right then. A cold voice snarled from the dark, "What do you think you're doing? One of those people is my friend. And I don't like my friends being kidnapped."

"Why thank you Nico," I said reluctantly. At least he still considered me a friend.

Of course, that hope was squashed when he replied scathingly, "I was talking about Annabeth, Seaweed Brain. Gods, you're denser then ever. Maybe these boneheads did something to you." Ouch.

Will cut in, "Enough of that. Guys, you have one chance to let them go."

"Fine," Hermione said, disenchanting the ropes that bound us. "Go. We have what we came for."

Surprised, I stood up from my seat as they left the room. I went over to my – I mean our – rescue party, focusing on Nico. "I'm sorry about what I said earlier," I admitted.

He shrugged. "Whatever. It's just still weird. Now can we get out of here? We'll miss curfew."

I started to try to insist on talking, but Annabeth grabbed my arm and dragged me out the door. Nico stepped back into a shadow, leaving me with a hollow feeling of having missed an opportunity.


	13. 13 - Nico

**(Nico POV) Chapter 13**

I couldn't believe it. After what he told me? He says "I'm _SORRY?"_ Those words were so incredibly inaccurate! So understated in fact, that I found myself ranting to Will on our way back to the Great Hall.

"Fucking Percy. Why? I'd gotten over him. I'd accepted that, I'd found happiness with you, and then he shows up and ruins everything. But of course, it's the Great Percy Jackson, so he wants whatever he can't have. He doesn't even get that I'm not going to come running when he snaps his fingers."

I didn't even realize the amount of attention I was getting from my rant, which was a testament to how angry I was. Normally I'd be hyper-aware of everything – and everyone – around me. Nevertheless, even I heard the scream echoing through the halls. My eardrums shattered from the sound of pure grief and anger, so similar to my own. I knew instinctively that someone was in terrible danger. Instantly I turned and ran toward the upstairs bathrooms.

When I got to the stairwell, I caught the sound of something shattering in the out-of-order girl's bathroom. Inside, Percy's recent kidnapper faced off against the blond Slytherin kid who'd bullied me on the first day of school. Much as I wished to leave them to the tender mercies of each other, I'd been tasked with protecting Potter. I grabbed him (none too gently) by the collar and shoved him out into the hallway.

The blond kid's face contorted in anger, and I noticed that his face was streaked with tears.

" _Crucio!_ "

Waves of pain overwhelmed me, and I doubled over for a second, but it was nothing to the wounds I'd gotten from Lycaon, or the agony of a swim in the Plegathon. I straightened up and walked up to the boy, grabbing his wand and pinning his arms. He struggled, managing to land a decent punch, but as soon as I grabbed his wand the spell collapsed. Suddenly, he crumpled to the floor and started crying.

"Go ahead, kill me! Please, just do it quickly. I'm sorry, mama!"

"I'm not going to kill you," I told him. "What's wrong? Can I help you?"

"No one can help me," He said, composing himself. "If I don't kill him in the next week, my mom dies. If I do, Harry'll kill me. Literally."

My brain fixated on the beginning of his speech. "Kill who?"

"D- D- I can't. He won't let me say!"

"Okay. Just, don't kill anyone. If you can't talk to Dumbledore, tell, let's see, Snape. Tell him what's going on, and let him help you. He'll help you save your mom. Okay?"

He sniffed. "Okay. Also. Sorry for teasing you on the first day. That was mean."

"It's – well, I'm not gonna say it's okay. It's not. I saw a lot that no kid should have to see, and I don't like being reminded of it – which incidentally is _nothing_ to how the others feel about it."

I stood up. "Do you need a few minutes, or are you okay to come out now?"

He wiped his eyes. "I'm fine."

We left, and I walked with him to the Great Hall. "I mean it okay," I told him. "Tell Snape."

Then I walked over to Will, not even noticing that Percy had sat down next to me. In all the excitement, I'd entirely forgotten that he even existed, and my thoughts were still taken up with Draco.


	14. 14 - Draco

**Just so everyone knows, I'm not updating super often right now due to writer's block, but this story IS NOT ABANDONED!**

 **Also, I'm introducing Drarry. Review and tell me if you want it to be an unrequited crush or an actual thing.**

 **Chapter 14 (Draco POV)**

Stupid kid. What did he know?

I couldn't exactly go up to Snape, one of the Dark Lord's firmest supporters, and say, "look, your master wants me to kill _Harry Potter_ , the Boy Who Lived, but I don't want to because I have some stupid crush on him, so would you please help me escape?"

I could imagine how that would go. At best, he'd tell my father, and I'd be Crucio'd until I passed out. At worst, You-Know-Who would find out, and I didn't want to think about what would happen then.

I was on my own.

I took a few minutes before walking outside to arguably my least favorite class, Care of Magical Creatures. And there he was, Wonder Boy himself, surrounded by lackeys, as usual. I didn't let myself think about how much I wanted to be there too. Instead, as always, I took refuge in arrogance, in up-tilted nose and scornful sneer. Gathering my sidekicks, I strutted over.

"Hey, Scarhead. Looking forward to seeing that big oaf? Of course, you _would_ be attached to him. He must be a bit of a father figure. Just shows how desperate you are for recognition."

I watched his expression go from adorable anticipation to hurt and annoyance. Then, to my surprise, his face dropped, just looking entirely defeated.

"Go away, Malfoy. I don't have the energy for this."

Masking my concern with an eyebrow raise, I scrambled for a rejoinder. "What, too tired of all the fangirling? 'Oh, _Harry_ , you're so wonderful' ' _I_ don't doubt you' ' _I'll_ fight beside you of course, even if no one else will'" I mimicked high, adoring tones. "It must be exhausting, being perfect."

"I'm not perfect, Malfoy. And all that's just fake. They don't want to be my friends, just my followers."

"And you're telling me you don't love the high of being put up on a pedestal?" I asked. "You're really something else." _Something else. Like an angel, perfect and unreachable._

"Do we need to discuss what happened yesterday?"

"So you are human, after all. Very well. Later, Potter."

As I walked back to the Slytherins, perhaps it was my imagination, but I thought I heard a tiny sigh, filled with incredible sadness.


	15. 15 - Harry

**Chapter 15 (Harry POV)**

 **Okay, everyone, I'm sorry but I uploaded the incomplete version of this chapter by accident, so instead of an update you get a revision.**

 **And Sal (guest), 1) Please don't call me an idiot and 2) I explained in the first chapter that there was divergence from the Trials of Apollo series. That means that Jason is alive.**

 **Guest, Leo will come in. He just is dead right now.**

"What is up with Draco? I mean, I _totally_ don't notice him, but he seems upset."

I tried to avoid Hermione's raised eyebrows by looking down, but I could still feel her looking at me.

"Harry..."

"I AM NOT OBSESSED WITH DRACO MALFOY!" I yelled, and ran for the Room of Requirement. Okay, a bit of an overreaction, but she wouldn't shut up. According to her and Ron, I have a crush on Malfoy. Which I really don't. Definitely. Like, I'm dating Ginny definitely. Still, it flustered me. A bit! Like, he doesn't get to me, he's just annoying and- I don't even know. Which was why I wanted to go to the Room, where I should be alone, since nobody else knew it was there. I thought.

Unfortunately, fate hated me. When I came in, I was so absorbed in my thoughts that I didn't notice the dark figure in the middle of the room until it spoke.

" _Dad,_ " a horribly familiar voice said irritably, _"_ I don't have time for this! Have you forgotten that I'm supposed to be on a quest right now?"

A second voice, deeper and sounding rather annoyed, replied, "You _must_ do it, Nico. The fate of England rests on this!"

"But- ugh, fine. Can you at least give me a hint as to who it is?"

"You must have the help of the others who died and returned. They will know."

"Anything else? Oh, I guess not then. Hmmph."

Just then, I realized that I had missed my chance to slip away unnoticed. Nico di Angelo turned and saw me. For a moment, he stood, staring at me. Then he glared. Now, I'm not easily scared, I've faced down Basilisks, evil teachers and Voldemort himself, but that _look_ turned me to stone.

" _What_ are you doing here? That was a PRIVATE CONVERSATION!"

"I- I'm sorry. I didn't see you in here!"

He seemed to drag himself back under control, the black that had been seeping from his feet disappearing reluctantly.

"Just- don't spy on me. You have no business knowing anything about me, and it is going to stay that way!"

Nico whirled and stomped out past me. I sighed, massaging my temples. This encounter hadn't done anything for my headache.

I sank down into a chair and pulled my Potions homework out of my book bag. It wasn't the hardest to do; I just wished Snape would actually look at the work rather than the name on it!

I'd been working for about an hour when I heard Hermione's voice in the corridor.

"He's _got_ to be somewhere near, Ronald! The Point-Me charm has never pointed me wrong!"

"Oh, come on, Hermione," Ron replied. "Let's just go to dinner. I'm sure if Harry wanted to talk to us, he'd come find us!"

Luckily, they wandered off then, leaving me to my thoughts and guilt. No matter how I tried, I couldn't keep my eyes open, and soon I drifted into sleep.

" _Harry!"_

 _The slender blond came running over to me, wrapping an arm around my waist and pressing a kiss to my cheek. I lay my head against his shoulder, feeling safe and protected as I hadn't in all my memory._

 _The scene changed, the bright sunshine and wide green fields disappearing in favour of a dark dungeon. I stood, paralyzed, as a hooded figure stepped forward, but it wasn't looking at me. A hand appeared, wand clutched in thin white fingers. The next sound I heard petrified me._

" _ADAVA KEDAVRA!"_

 _The beautiful, fragile man beside me fell, gray eyes wide in death._

" _No, Draco, love, please wake up!"_

 _My lover didn't reply, and I stood, drawing my wand, but the hood dropped and I saw, standing before me, the one person I could never willingly hurt._

" _How? You're dead!"_

 _A voice rang around me. "Well, Hero? You see what will happen. Your beloved shall destroy himself with his refusal to seek help. You_ must _save him!"_

" _Why would I do anything for him?" I cried, years of rivalry coming back to drive away the lingering love I felt._

" _Ah, I know you better than you think, Harry Potter. You will never overcome, what did she call it? Oh yes, your 'Saving people complex.' You will do what you must, and you will destroy everything by it."_

 _High, cold laughter filled the room, and_ I jerked awake, nearly falling on the ground. Shaking off my feeling of dread, I left for the common room, but my dream kept coming back to haunt me.


	16. 16 - Nico

**Chapter 16 (Nico POV)**

 **I finally got on it and wrote the next chapter! Don't worry, I'm not introducing Pernico, but I wanted a bit of tension. As the last chapter showed, I am indeed adding in Drarry, though I'm not sure if it will be realized in this story.**

 **Well, enjoy! -Cassie**

Well, this was a bit not good. I was pretty sure the Amortentia potion was intended to be pearly white at that stage, but it definitely was not just then, and I had no idea what I'd done wrong. The only thing that could make this worse was-

"Mr. di Angelo, could you explain this please? Pink. Pink!"

Oh.

"I'm sorry, Professor," I said quickly to Professor Snape. "I'm not quite sure what I did wrong. Could you perhaps tell me?"

"I don't explain things to idiots who can't even listen," Snape said in a furious whisper.

"Oh, all right then," I replied. "I should have known that all that stuff about you being the best Potions professor Hogwarts has ever had was a lie."

"What do you mean?" He hissed.

"Well, since you obviously can't figure out what my mistake is or how to fix it..." I trailed off, letting him see disappointment in my face. Behind him I could see Harry and Ron shaking their heads frantically at me, but I knew what I was doing. I thought.

Sure enough, Snape obliged. "You have added the ground pearl too soon, you fool. To fix it, you stir it twice counter clockwise and once clockwise!"

Smirking, I did as he said. The potion's colour leeched out, leaving it the proper shimmery white. Snape scowled and swept away, leaving all the Gryffindors staring. Poor things, probably the first time in living memory stood up to the bat.

Finally, the potions were done and we'd each turned in a vial for him to test.

Before anyone could escape, though, he announced to the class, "Perhaps a few of you would like to sniff a properly made Amortentia potion and tell us what you smell."

It was clear that it was not a question.

"Let's see, let's start with Mr. Potter."

Harry stood and walked up to the cauldron at the front of the class. He bent forward, inhaled, and an amazing change came over him. He sighed and seemed to relax, the tension in his stance disappearing.

"Well, Mr. Potter? What do you smell?"

"Um, I can smell treacle tart, the woody smell of a broomstick handle, and costly wool clothing," Harry said reluctantly. "And some expensive hair product."

"Very interesting, Mr. Potter. Mr. di Angelo?"

I walked up to the cauldron, already knowing what I would smell. It hit me harder than I expected: the clean, sterile smell of a hospital, first and foremost. Then, fainter, the dark smell of a cavern underground, the dim sharpness of an approaching thunderstorm and a brisk, salty sea wind. The scents I associated with the four people I cared for the most.

"Mr. di Angelo? Do you care to share your experience with us?"

"I smell a hospital. A cavern underground, thunder and the ocean."

"Do you know why you smell those particular things?"

I considered telling him off, or refusing to answer, but decided against it. It wasn't like I really cared if anyone knew.

"I do, sir."

"Well?" Snape asked acidly.

"The first is what Will smells like. Always. The others are fainter, but I associate the underground with my sister Hazel, thunder with Jason and the sea – well, Percy always smells like the ocean."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Percy looking stunned. Ah well, no matter how much I hate him, I love him more. I might have gotten over my crush, and moved on with Will, but he still means a lot to me. And we've never really been friends, not in the conventional use of the word...


End file.
